on the loose
idiom
: able to move freely : not controlled or held in a prison, cage, etc.
—used especially to describe a dangerous person, animal, or group
The prisoner escaped and is still on the loose.
A killer is on the loose.
An angry mob was on the loose.
Examples of on the loose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ajsac Sirin was sitting on a metal tree guard outside the store when Lavel Boddie, Fritzgens Delia and two other men still on the loose swarmed him, according to a criminal complaint.
—
Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
Your satire of suburban malaise doesn’t also have to be a hangout comedy with a murderer on the loose.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2026
Years later, the killer remains on the loose.
—Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
An 80-year-old pedestrian and his dog were killed after they were struck by a 2009 Gray Maserati Quattroporte in a hit-and-run in Sherman Oaks, with the driver on the loose.
—City News Service, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for on the loose
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Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
Your satire of suburban malaise doesn’t also have to be a hangout comedy with a murderer on the loose.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2026
Years later, the killer remains on the loose.
—Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
An 80-year-old pedestrian and his dog were killed after they were struck by a 2009 Gray Maserati Quattroporte in a hit-and-run in Sherman Oaks, with the driver on the loose.
—City News Service, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for on the loose
Cite this Entry
“On the loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20loose. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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